We Need to Avoid These Phrases to Stop Gender Stereotypes

Whether you have a son or a daughter, we encourage you to watch the video below. It's a project of SheKnows Hatch Program, nonprofit organization It’s On Us with Civic Nation, and the Ad Council in the United States. The campaign's goal is help clarify and defend the meaning of respect for women and raise awareness around rape culture.

None of us wants to create an environment where sexual abuse in any form becomes acceptable or even justified. But it doesn't take a big or single act to do so. Sometimes it's just in the phrases we use every day in conversation as we react to news report we've heard or read, or situations involving our own kids. Here are some examples:

"He's just picking on you because he likes you."

"Boys will be boys."

"Don't wear short skirts."

"Act like a man."

"You shouldn't have been alone with him."

"She's just playing hard to get."

"Watch your drink."

Catch yourself if you're using these phrases when your kids can hear you and especially if you are directing it to them. These give conflicting messages about sex equality. As we previously said before in this article, we need to stop having two different conversations with our sons and daughters about sex, where our daughters are constantly on the defensive while our sons are told to bring...protection. It’s on us parents to change the conversation. Help our kids grow up understanding that respect for women should be essentially the same respect you give men.